Takeoff
by Plantress
Summary: It was the Apus Saint's first glimps of Sanctuary, and he didn't expect to his feelings to fall out as they did. OC-centric, One-shot


A/N: This story has been brewing in my head for a while. It actually started waaaay back when I first introduced by Apus Saint in Second Chance. You'll noticed that the character in this story is much different than the one I introduced there, because as I worked to developed he gained some intesting quirks. I consider the character in Second Chance a prototype version of him.

Jobi glanced around Sanctuary, feeling slightly overwhelmed. This was so different form the island he had trained on. There it had just been his master, him, and occasional visitors. He vaguely remembered living in a village or a city that was fairly large when he was younger, but that had been so long ago. As he made his way from the small hut he had been given, Jobi couldn't help looking around in a mixture of both awe and trepidation. No matter how much his master had told him about Sanctuary, seeing it first hand was much more overwhelming than he had though. The sounds of so many people fighting, training, _living _, was louder than he thought possible. There was so much going on at once he wasn't sure what to focus on first. He hesitated, not sure what to do next. His Master's last instructions to him had been to return to Sanctuary and declare himself the Apus Saint before the Pope. Now that was done, he had been acknowledge as a Saint…and he had no idea what to do next. Just what did Saints _do _when they weren't fighting evil? None of his lessons had covered that, and he hadn't bothered to ask his master. He hadn't liked reminding him of the rank he had failed to achieve.

His aimless wandering had brought him near what he thought was the center of Sanctuary. A massive coliseum was set low in the ground. Dozens of people were gathered in it, either fighting or in the stands cheering, and he decided that his must be where most of the Saints and other inhabitants of Sanctuary spent their free time. He stood at the top of the stairs that lead down into the arena proper and tried to figure out if he really wanted to join that mass of people yet.

A snort and a snigger down below him caught his attention. He looked down to find a couple of men in the leather armor they all wore staring up at him. The one on the right, leaned down to whisper something to his shorter companion. They both glanced at him and sniggered. Anger at being made fun of welled in him, but he also realized how truly tense he was. He forced himself to relax, and for his hands to unfold from the fists they had been balled into. He leveled a glared at the two men who had been laughing at him then started to walk down the steps into the arena.

"Y..you're a S..saint!" he whispered softly to himself in reminder. He had worked hard to earn that rank, and now he had been acknowledged by the Pope himself. What did he have to fear from people after all he had gone through to earn his Cloth? He could survive in the forest on his own. During his training he had been left on a rock out at sea and survived there for two weeks without food or shelter. After all that he had managed to survive his test for Cloth. Next to that, what was a few people? But as he wound his way down through the stands, and listened to the mass of voices raised in various conversations, he couldn't help but feel nervous. He didn't want to just _leave _though, both because he didn't want to seem like a coward, and because he knew he had to get used to this. This was his life now, and there was nothing else he could do.

Since it was what everyone else was doing, he turned his attention to watching the battles instead. It was..enlighting really. Aside from his master, Jobi really hadn't seen anyone else fight before. He could tell that some of the fighters really weren't that good, and had barely any Cosmo themselves. Others he wasn't sure about . He could tell they had cosmo, but some of them seemed to be not that good at fighting. He wondered if they were trainees. But there were occasional bouts where he could tell from the strength of the two Cosmos that the two combatants in a match really where Saints.

There was a crowd gathered toward one side of the arena. Jobi had noticed it when he had first arrived but he hadn't paid much attention to it amidst everything else. Now as he wandered closer, he grew curious about what the noise was about. What could attracted that much attention?

Jobi pushed his way through the crowd, trying to ignore the grumbles from who didn't like his progress. Finally he got close enough to actually see the fight, and he was stunned. He didn't know the combatants although they looked a little familiar, but he could tell they were good. Very, very good in fact, and much faster than he was. Their cosmos were some of the strongest he had ever felt, and it was clear they knew exactly what they were doing. They were scoring hits on each other, sometimes moving so fast that he couldn't keep track o what had happened. He was fast, but these two were faster. It was mesmerizing in a way. Not only for the skilled involved, but because of the combatant themselves. He had never seen anyone who could make the fighting look graceful before. At least not like this. Good fighters made their movements seem effortless but this was different. The warrior with the long light blue hair…he went beyond that. His moments were careful, controlled, almost beautiful in a way. There was power behind his moments though, and Jobi found himself cheer for the warrior. He wasn't the only one adding his voice, although most of the other spectators seemed to be cheering for the other fighter, a Saint with short light brown hair.

In the end that was the warrior that won. Jobi felt slightly disappointed, but the man he had been cheering for didn't seem that disturbed by his loss. He watched the two Saints shake hands briefly and exchange a few words before walking away from each other. Jobi frowned, sure that something seemed nagging familiar about _both_ of them.

"H..hey," he said, turning to a man who had been standing next to him. "H..how were th..those t..two?"

"You mean you don't know?" The man, a guard by the helmet he was wearing, looked almost shocked. "You have to be new here!"

"So w..what if I a..am?" Jobi snapped, flushing a little. It wasn't his fault he had just arrived here.

The guardsman held up his hands placatingly. "Didn't mean anything by it kid," he said. "'Kay, then, pay attention." He pointed at the long haired fighter. "That's Lord Pisces Aphrodite, and that's Lord Leo Aioria. Gold Saints. Far above the rest of us."

"G..gold saints…" that explained why they had looked familiar. he had just seen them on his way to see the Pope, but had been to busy worrying if he would be accepted as a Saint to think about who he was meeting. But something seemed off to him, "I th..though the A..amzons h..had to wear m..masks?" His master had said that _all _amazons wore masks, but maybe it was different for female Gold Saints.

The guardsmen looked puzzled for a moment, then the shorter one burst our laughing. "y..you think that..? Oh, boy, don't let Lord Aphrodite say that!" he managed to choke out, "_He _doesn't take insults like that likely."

"Wh..what?" Jobi said in disbelief, "b..but the n..name…!" He had learned the names of the Greek gods as part of his training, and Aphrodite was one of the more famous ones. No one could mistake that!

The guardsman just shrugged. "If a Gold Saints wants to be called by the name of a goddess, who am I to argue? They don't even seem to acknowledge us or care what we think anyway," he grinned. "So, what's your name new kid?"

"I..it's not new k..kid!" Jobi protested, then said proudly, "I'm S..silver Saint A..apus Jobi!" The guardsmen suddenly went pale, a reaction Jobi hadn't been expected.

"W..we're sorry sir! We didn't mean any disrespect!" both of them looked terrified. Jobi meanwhile was startled by the sudden respectful address, but it made him swell with pride. He was a i_Saint/i _now, someone who was worth respecting. It felt good to have that after all the years it had taken him to earn it.

"So you're the new Saint?" A new voice said from behind him. Jobi turned, vaguely aware of the guardsmen scrambling away the moment his eyes were off them.

"Y..yes I am," he said. There was a man standing behind him. He was tall, but Jobi though he couldn't be that much older than he was.

"I a..am," Jobi replied, feeling a burst of pride at being able to answer like that.

"Silver Saint Centaurus Babel," the stranger replied. "I had heard we got a new Saint in, but I didn't here what Cloth you had. When did you get here?"

"J..just today," Jobi said, " my M..master insisted I c..come pay my re..re..respects the as soon as I p..possible c..could."

"Your Master was smart, the Pope wouldn't have taken kindly to you dawdling," Babel gave him a curious look. "Are you nervous or something?"

"N..no…wh..why?" Jobi gave the other Saint a questioning look.

"You keep stammering like that. It's not like you're the first guy to get freaked out by Sanctuary you know."

"I am n..not freaked o..out!" Jobi protested, "Th..this is just how I t..t..talk!"

"Oh," Babel looked embarrassed then quickly tried to smile instead, "So, new kid, what do you say I give you a tour?"

"Huh?" Jobi gave him a slightly confused look as the taller Saint walked over to throw an arm his shoulders.

"You haven't had time to look around yet have you? Well, come on, I'll show you all the good places!" Babel started to lead him away. Jobi hesitated, glancing back toward the arena. But Aphrodite had left by now and he really didn't see a reason to linger.

"..O..okay," he said in response to Babel's tugging, not sure whether to be annoyed at the enthusiasm or not.

*************

The next morning, Jobi was glad of the tour. Babel had taken him down into town to show him around, and he had taken the opportunity to buys some supplies while he was there. Without them he would have gone hungry this morning. At least the huts did have a working stove so he could cook. After finishing most of his breakfast, Jobi dumped his dishes in the sink to do later, then headed over to the arena, still nibbling on a piece of toast

There were fights already starting when he reached it, but he didn't find any of them interesting, and couldn't seem to focus on any of them. He kept scanning the arena floor and spectators, but he could see no sign of the particular fighting style that had marked the Pisces Saint yesterday. He was actually a bit disappointed about it. It had been different, and he wanted to see more of that fighting style. Maybe, if he watched it enough, he could figure out how Lord Aphrodite had managed to turn fighting into something so graceful. He would love to be able to fight like that.

"So," a voice said from behind him, jolting him out of his thoughts, "you're the new Silver Saint, am I right?"

"Y..yes.." he said slowly as he turned around. He didn't recognize the blond man that was standing there. Or at least he assumed it was a man since he wasn't wearing a mask. If it hadn't been for that Jobi wasn't sure he would have been able to tell.

"So I see.." the man said looking him over, "you don't look like much but I suppose you must be worth _something _if you somehow managed to earn a Cloth."

Jobi bristled at the dismissive tone the blond had used, "I w..worked hard to earn my C..cloth, and p..prove I was w..worthy of b..being a S..saint! Wh..who do you th..think you are to q..question that?"

"I wasn't questioning the fact that you did earn a Cloth, on expressing my amazement that a Cloth would recognize a scruffy Saint," the man smirked a little, "in answer to your question, I am Silver Saint Lacerta

Misty. I think I can be considered a rather accurate judge of my fellow Silver Saints, don't you agree?"

"N..no," Jobi said bluntly. "J..just because you're a S..silver Saint d..doesn't mean you c..can d..decide things about the r..rest of us! Y..you're at the s..same level as everyone e..else. D..don' act like y..you're better th..than anyone e..else!"

"Ah, but here's the thing, Apus," Misty leaned in close to him, "I am better. In all my battles, in every fight I've been in, there hasn't been anyone who has been able to mark me. That I am sure is far better than anything you have done so far. You did well by earn a Cloth, but that does not mean you are nearly as good as you think you are."

Jobi clenched his fist to contain his urge to punch the Larecta Saint. "I d..don't believe you. N..no one, n..no mater h..how good could b..become a S..saint without g..getting hit," he snapped as he glared at the other Saint.

"You're free to believe whatever you want, but it will not change the truth. I am considered the best of all the Silver Saints, and thus I am free to judge you as I will the others will listen to me you know," Misty said, that knowing smirk still on his face, "and you really don't have to be _that _nervous around me. I know I'm rather overwhelming at first, but you really do need to learn to control yourself. That stuttering is very unattractive."

" up! Y..you're aren't o..overwhelming me, and I s..still don't b..belive you. If y..you think you're th..that good, th..then fine, p..prove it!"

"Oh? Why should I?"

"You s..scared to f..face me?"

"Hardly," Misty gave him a pitting look, "I'm just trying to spare your reputation. It wouldn't look good if you were humiliated on your second day here."

"I d..doubt someone like you w..would be a..able to d..do th..that. B..but if you w..want to k..keep underestimating m..me, then g..go ahead! F..fight be and I'll sh..show you how s..strong I r..really am!"

"I think you're the one who's underestimating _me. _But if you truly want me to teach you a lesson about that, then I will fighting you. Meet on the arean floor in an hour, and you'll see the truth yourself."

"F..fine!" Jobi snapped as Misty smirked then walked away. Jobi glared after him, then quickly headed off to stretch. If he really wanted to teach Misty a lesson, he would have to be full prepared. Even though he didn't believe the Lacerta Saint's stupid claim that he was the best, he was still fighting a fellow Silver Saint. If he didn't pour his all into it, he wasn't going to win.

"Jobi!" the shout came just as he was starting his exercise. He paused, recognized the voice.

"M..morning Babel," he said continuing his routine with only the barest glance over at the other Saint.

"Please tell me that you didn't really challenge Misty!" the Centaurus Saints said.

"H..he was insulting m..me," Jobi grumbled, "I c..couldn't just let him g..get away with s..something like th…that!"

"You should have!" Babel sighed, " Look, I know Misty can be an arrogant ass sometimes, be he's actually kind of earned it. He's as good as he says he is. You might be good but no one has been able to beat him yet?"

"B..because everyone e..else has gotten s..scared of him. I w..won't let wh..what he says in..intimdate me! No one is in..." Babel tried a few more times to talk him into quitting, but Jobi just tuned the other Saint out. He was not going to back down like a coward. Besides, he couldn't let Misty get away with this!

There was a large crowd already gathered in the already, and Misty was waiting for him. Jobi made his way over, ongoing the jeers and catcalls from some of the spectators.

"So you did show," the Lacerta Saint said, "I was worried you would realize your mistake and try to back out."

"A S..saint doesn't r..run away," Jobi growled sliding back into a fighting stance.

Misty smirked and took a stance of his own. "At least you've learned that much," he said. Both of them held for a moment then they rushed each other.

Jobi could tell that the first blows Misty threw weren't full strength , but he wasn't going full out yet either. They were testing each other, trying to find a weakness. He could hear the roar of the crowd as they kept up their exchange, and it grew more heated. Well, more heated on his part. Much to Jobi's annoyance, Mist was staying just out of reach. All of his blows had ether been blocked or dodged by the Larceta Saint.

An annoyed growl escaped from Jobi as he redoubled his efforts to try hitting Misty. He was going to shattered that myth that he had never been hit if it was the last thing he did! The Larceta Saint was frowning a little now, and starting to sweat a little.

"N..not so h..high and m..mighty now, are you?" Jobi couldn't help saying as he pushed the other Saint back. Misty smirked suddenly.

"You truly think you have won?" the Lacerta Saint said, then aimed a vicious kick. Jobi blocked him but the force knocked him back a little way. He regained his footing swiftly, only to find Misty watching him with an rather amused expression. "This has been fun, but I think it's time for to end things for now."

"Y..you're not the one that g.g..gets to decide th..that!" Jobi rushed toward the Lacerta Saint, aiming a vicious punch at the other man. But Misty just raised his hands, and the Apus Saint found his fish slamming into something that felt semi-sold, The force knocked him back and he flipped to avoid falling.

"I told you that you couldn't hope to stand up to me," Misty said lightly as he regain his feet. Jobi just growled and charged again, only to have his attack once again stopped.

"Is that all you have?" Misty sneered. Jobi glared at him, this time being more cautious. There was something going on here. He hadn't seen Misty make an overt moves, but there was something going on here. The kick he launched at the Lacerta Saint was more cautious this time, and he felt the shock as his foot connected, but this time he was concentrating on how it felt. It wasn't solid as he first thought. It felt more like something was throwing the momentum of his attack away from Misty.

He flipped backwards, skidding a little as he landed. He had seen something when that kicked had connected. A slight ripple in the hair in front of the Lacerta Saint, and his hands had twitched. It was slight, but if you were looking for something it was obvious.

"You a..aren't worht f..full effort!" Jobi rush ed toward the other Saint, turning to land a kick on him. But as he did so, he was careful to dig his toes into ground, launching a spray of sand into the air as he brought his foot up. Misty coughed, blinking watering eyes as Jobi found his attack blocked once again, forcing him to hop backwards a couple of paces to regain his balance.

"Did you really think that would work?" Misty coughed, leveling an annoyed glare at the Apus Saint. "It will take more than petty tricks to hurt me!"

"I w.'t trying t..to trick you," Jobi replied calmly. "I was c..confirming s..something." He smirked alittle. "I k..know _your _t..trick now. You c..cause v..vibraion in the air a..around your h..hands. The r..ripples in the air a..act like a b..barrier, p..protecting you."

Misty was silent for a moment, studing him with a more serious gaze but then he smirked. "Clever of you to figure it out, but I doubt it's going to do you any good. Even if you know my trick, there is still no way to get past it. My barrier is impenetrable."

"M..maybe not as m..much as you th..think," Jobi circled the other Saint as he spoke trying to find the best angel.

"Oh?" Misty raised an eyebrow, "you really think you've found a way round my shield? Go ahead, try it!"

"F..fine!" Jobi stopped his walked and turned to take a stance of his own, the dark blue of his cosmo flickering to life around him. He saw Misty tense as he pulled back his hands, then quickly shot them forward. "B..beauty's Haze!"

There was a rush of wind a brief spark, and then everything was still. Misty blinked then suddenly laughed.

"That's it? A show? That didn't hurt at all! Or where you trying to…" the Laceta Saint suddenly staggered, blinking rapidly. "What..?"

"B..beauty's Haze doesn't h..hurt you," Jobi smirked a little, "y..you aren't' the only o..one who p..plays with a..air waves. My a..attack us..uses tiney s..sound waves th..that target y..your inner e..ear to d..disrubt your b..balance. You w..won't even be a..able to see s..straight for a few more h..hours."

"Tch, what an annoying attack." Misty growled, trying to stop from swaying, "so you disable your opponents, then attack."

Jobi nodded grimly. "I d..don't like to c..cause a c..commotion in b..battle. It's b..better to be as q..quick and e..efficient as p..possible."

"I see.." Misty swallowed, his feet sliding as he fought to stay upright. Then suddenly he gave a rather nasty grin, "but I suppose to I should have expected this from someone like you."

"Wh..what?"

"Someone who can't even talk straight wouldn't have an attack that was straight forward. Of course you wouldn't wish to face you opponent straight on....you might embarrass yourself after all. I mean, it's not like it's possible to take you seriously."

"Sh..shut up!" Jobi growled his fists clenching.

"Wh..why should?" Misty sneered, "It's not like I'm speaking an untruth. It's hard to believe that you're a Saint! You don't care yourself with the confidence of the Saint. Apus? Hah! You're still a chick that happened to get lucky. I bet your Master gave you the Cloth you wear out of pity."

"I s..said sh..shut up!" Jobi shouted taking a step forward, "th..that's not t..true!"

"Really now?" Misty started to smirk then staggered a little. He was sweating as he took a deep breath and seemed to swallow. "After all I've seen of your skills during this fight, you expect me to believe that?" Misty tried to focus in Jobi's general direction, a slow, knowing grin spreading across his face. "Face it, you aren't worthy of being a Saint. Your Master must be so ashamed to have taught a failure like you!"

"I s..said sh..shut up!" Jobi charged toward the other said, "I'm n..not going to l..let you insust m..my…!"

"Marvel Tripper!"

The attack slammed into Jobi mid-sentence, sending him flying backwards. He slammed into the wall of the arena as Misty staggered, barely keeping his footing. Jobi slide to the ground, trying to ignore the pain of the impact. He hadn't even noticed Misty had switched his attack stance, but he should have! He was a better fighter than that!

"Pathetic," Misty said, still breathing heavily. "You couldn't even see through such an obvious ploy! I should finish you now, before you embarrass yourself any further."

Jobi growled, then tried to regain his feet. The motion jarred the ache had been feeling since he' hit the wall into a burst of pain that made him hiss. He'd felt pain like this before, his ribs were probably either bruised or cracked. His master has told him once that without his Cloth he would face death going up against another Saint, but he had stupidly forgotten about it.

"That's enough Misty," a calm voice said from over his head. "Isn't it better to be know as a gracious winner, rather than a gloating one?"

"I am only trying to prove a point," Misty answered, "..Lord Aphrodite."

The name struck a rush of something, an emotion that Jobi couldn't name. He followed the Lacerta Saint's gaze just in time to watch Lord Aphrodite drop lightly into the arena it's. The Pisces Saint turned to face Misty, and Jobi felt his breath catch. He hadn't been able to see Lord Aphrodite very well when he had first caught sight of him, but now, seeing him this close, Jobi was struck by how magnificent he was. He was wearing the a training outfit like almost everyone was, but his somehow managed to be different. There was any signs of fraying or wear. It look, neat, and tidy. But beyond that,…he was beautiful. Jobi had never seen anyone, man or woman who was that flawless this close. He was sweating, but only light and it didn't distract from his beauty at all.

"…now for you," Lord Aphrodite said suddenly, and Jobi realized he had been talking to Misty. The next moment, he suddenly found himself meet the eyes of the Pisces Saint. He hadn't seen a shade of blue like that before….but then he realized that he still sitting on the floor of the arena, dirty, sweat, bleeding and that Lord Aphrodite must have seen him make that stupid mistake. He looked away, cheeks burning.

"…What is your name?"

It took Jobi a moment to register that the Pisces Saint as talking to I_him/I_. He swallowed, his mind going blank. He opened his mouth, then quickly closed it and looked away..

"A..apus J..j..jobi," he managed to stammer out at last.

"I see," Lord Aphrodite frowned slightly, then he sighed and look serious, "Apus, learn to control yourself. You must not fall for the enemies taunts in battle. Their goal is to upset you, and next time it might lead to consequences much more sever than losing a sparring match." Jobi nodded, not trusting himself to speak again in case he made a fool o himself. Lord Aphrodite smiled a little. "Your attack was rather impressive, but you need to learn how to use it. Keep what I said in mind."

The Pisces Saint turned and walked away as Jobi nodded. He watched him go, then turned to glare at Misty. He was never going to allow that to happen again. _Next time I will defeat you! You won't embarrass me again!_

_Especially in front of Lord Aphrodite.  
_

*********

"Jobi! _Jobi_!"

The shouts made the Apus Saint look up. He nodded as Babel and Asterion came up to where he standing, looking down into the arena.

"G..good morning!"

"Don't good morning me!" Babel grumbled, "I thought you wanted to meet me back at the training grounds to try that new move you been playing around with! What are you doing out here?"

"Oh. S..sorry," Jobi mumbled, looking embarrassed.

"Why did you leave anyway? It's not like you to just flake off of meetings?" Asterion asked the Apus Saint. Jobi continued blushing a little. It had been a few weeks since had come to Sanctuary. Most of the other Saints had been friendly enough but they kept giving him odd looks lately whenever he would ask about Lord Aphrodite. He didn't really see what the problem was, but he had started to keep his search for more information about the Gold Saint to himself.

"..I h..heard L..lord Aphrodite was s..sparring and I w..wanted to s..see more of his t..technique," Jobi admitted.

"Again?' Asterion sighed.

"You know…you keep this up and people are gonna start thinking that you're like Misty," Babel said as he shook his head.

"I am n..not like h..him!" Jobi exploded, glaring at he other two Saints. "W..we're totally d..different!"

"We know, we know," Asterion said placatingly, holding up his hands to try and calm Jobi. "What Babel was trying to say that you'll end up having rumors about you like Misty does."

"R..rumors? Wh..what kind of r..rumors?"

"Rumors that he's well…." Asterion trailed off, look embarrassed.

"He's gay," Babel said bluntly, "I mean....have you ever seen a woman around him?"

"Just because you haven't doesn't mean anything," Asterion said quickly. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"He wears make up!" Babel said, "how much more proof do you need Asterion? Besides, you know that people keep seeing him with Lord Aphrodite!"

"Wh..what?" For a second Jobi felt an unpleasant twisting in his gut. They could not be talking about what he though they were talking about. There was just no way that could be possible..

"You mean you haven't heard?" Babel seemed generally surprised "You were bugging everyone about Lord Aphrodite for a while. I thought someone would have mentioned that he practically trained Misty!"

"H..he what?" Jobi stared at the older Saint, that twisting in his gut growing worse.

"Trained him," Babel continued, ignoring the efforts Asterion made to shush him. "He helped Misty a lot when he was younger, everyone knew." The Centaurus Saint paused and looked thoughtful for a second. "That might explain why Misty is so…weird. I mean, Lord Aphrodite really gay himself. Bet he didn't help Misty just out of the kindness of his heart."

"Babel, shut it!" Asterion snapped, but the other Saint seemed to be intent on ignoring him. Jobi just stared at Babel in a horrified fascination. Surely he couldn't be suggesting that…

"I mean, there've always been rumors that Lord Aphrodite preferred guys," Babel continued on. "Everyone knows that Misty goes up to see him once in a while. Some of those trips last an awful long time, if you know what I mean." Babel gave an almost lewd sneer. "It would make sense though, him grooming a pretty boy to…"

"N..no!" Jobi shouted as he glared at Babel. "H..he wouldn't…L..lord A..Aphrodite isn't like th..that! N..not to M..misty!"

"But.." Babel started to say, but Asterion clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Those are just rumors Jobi," the Hound Saint said.

"Of c..course th..they are," Jobi snapped, his chest feeling tight. He felt like he wanted to cry and he didn't want anyond to see a display of weakness like that. He turned away. "I'm g..going to go t..train," he said and started away.

"Jobi!"

"A..alone!" He kept walking not even bothering to check if his friends were following, and not even caring if they had. He didn't even know where he was going, just that he wanted to get away from everyone. He didn't ant to talk, look at, or deal with another person. Maybe ever again. Well, he did feel like going up and punching Misty in the face but the Lacerta Saint was away from Sanctuary so that wasn't an option.

His throat felt tight, and tears kept blurring things, making it hard for him to see. It wasn't i_fair/i! _ He had known on some level that Misty and Lord Aphrodite were similar but he hadn't thought about why that was. It just hadn't occurred to him that they would be linked since they were so different. Lord Aphrodite was beautiful, graceful, humble and powerful. Misty as arrogant and wasn't as good as he though he was. He had won through luck!

Jobi felt a surge of resentment. Misty had everything already, reputation, looks, and enough supports as it was! Why did he have to get to steal Lord Aphrodite too! It wasn't fair! He didn't deserve him like he did! He didn't love him like….

The last thought caught Jobi off guard and he stopped in shock. He hadn't just thought that…had he? He didn't love Lord Aphrodite like that, he old admired him…that as the excuse he had been giving the other Saints. But even as he though the words they rang hollow to him.

His Master had talked about love with him before, but mostly in abstract and having to do with girls. But now…Jobi swallowed.

"H..he's a g..guy," he muttered. Babel had kept using the term 'gay', as if it were something bad. The way some of the other Saints had looked at him when he had been asking about Lord Aphrodite said that some of them wouldn't really approve of it either.

But did that really matter? His Master had always said he should never be ashamed of his emotions. That they gave him strength so he should cherish them. Wasn't love just another emotion? It was nothing to be ashamed of!

Jobi smiled a little, pleased with that, but the smile feel back into a frown. Even if he knew he loved Lord Aphrodite now, what was he going to do about it? What if the rumors were true and he already had Misty? What then?

His chest was feeling tight again at the thought, and he was forced to blink rapidly to hold off tears. No, he couldn't give up like that! A Saint I_never/I _gave up! There had to be a way! A way of proving, of showing Lord Aphrodite that he was better than Misty! Then it dawned on him.

"..I'll get s..stronger than h..he is!" Jobi muttered allowed. He would work on his attacks, improve them so that next time Misty wouldn't get lucky. Then, when he next challenged the Lactera Saint, he would win.

Lord Aphrodite might be there, he visited the training arena often enough. He saw the might himself, saw how much better he had gotten… I_maybe he'll notice me then!/I_


End file.
